There are many industrial processes in which work pieces (components or parts) are surface treated, for example painted or powder coated.
A spray booth is a structure that provides a ventilated, air filtered and temperature controlled environment in which spraying activities such as painting and powder coating can take place. A spray booth is necessary for the safe execution of such activities, since the sprayed materials include solvents and particulate material that must not enter the atmosphere in large quantities. The particulate material that does not stick to the article being sprayed must be removed from the spraying area to ensure safe working conditions, and to manage environmental impact.
A spray booth also provides a controlled supply of filtered air that aids the spraying process and leads to higher quality finishes. In addition, it is necessary to heat sprayed materials in order to dry them (in a process known as baking), and a spray booth typically provides a controlled temperature environment in which such baking can be undertaken.
In the automotive sector, a body shop which repairs and repaints cars and other vehicles may have the need to prepare and spray small components, such as wheels. Using a spray booth designed for spraying of whole vehicles is wasteful in several respects; the energy requirements for the booth are high, relative to the objects being sprayed, the size of the booth significantly exceeds that required for the smaller objects, and the use of a full booth for smaller jobs creates organizational issues for the spray booth operator.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a spray booth arrangement that is tailored for smaller objects, in order to enable higher efficiency in processing of those smaller objects, whilst providing the required controlled environments for spraying and finishing at a reasonable cost.